Alabama sun tax challenged, 45 MW coming to Minnesota: pvMB 10/15/19

Hello one and all and welcome to this Tuesday’s pvMB. Today we’ve got in front of us a neat solar-powered, three-wheeled EV, Iowa Man yelling at the wind and sun, Duke installing 5 MW battery and more!

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45 MW proposed in Minnesota – The land of 10,000 lakes and over a 1,200 MW of solar capacity could be seeing another large chunk added to that total, as Savion is proposing the development of a 45 MW solar project in Beaver Township. The project is planned to be accompanied by a 20-year power purchase agreement, but due to the premature development nature, a buyer has not yet been selected. The proposal is expected to be submitted early in 2020, with anticipated service dates somewhere between 2021 and 2023. Source: Fillmore County Journal

Alabama to hear complaint over high solar panel fees – A $5 per kilowatt solar fee instituted in Alabama and referred to by former Vice President and Manbearpig truther Al Gore is being challenged, with the hearing set for November. On Nov. 21, the Alabama PSC will hear from solar customers and advocacy groups who say the fee is too high and unjustified, while Alabama Power, in a move so bold that you have to respect it, is doubling down and claiming the fee should actually be slightly higher. Roll Tide. Source: AL.com

Iowa Man yells at the wind and sun – “The Madison County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to put a temporary moratorium in place on solar or wind farms. The board voted 2-1 on the moratorium. The decision means no solar or wind farms can be proposed for nearly a year. Discussion started in the summer after the county’s Board of Public Health recommended any future turbines be built 1.5 miles from any residence. The Madison County Board of Public Health cited health concerns — specifically the subtle hum from the blades and flicker from the sun. MidAmerican Energy and the Iowa Environmental Council said scientific evidence does not support the Board of Public Health’s claims… The moratorium will stay in place until October 1, 2020, and only applies to new applications. Wind and solar projects already approved will still go forward.” Our take: Seems pretty archaic. Source: KCCI

Duke installs 5 MW battery –“Duke Energy Carolinas is partnering with Anderson County, S.C., to build an energy storage project at the Anderson Civic Center that will be part of the company’s long-term strategy to integrate battery technology into the smart-thinking grid it is building in the Carolinas. The battery project will also provide power to a facility that is critical during emergency situations, such as being the site of a hurricane evacuation shelter. This project is part of the company’s ongoing plans to invest $500 million in battery storage projects across the Carolinas over the next 15 years.” Source: Duke

Check out this funky EV – Now that’s what I call pod racing! Introducing Aptera’s new 3-wheeled EV. “The EV was designed with solar in mind, and it has more than 180 panels that are built into the car’s composite structure. For each hour it’s parked in the sun, it generates more than five miles of range. That means each sunny hour puts around half a kilowatt-hour into the battery, since Aptera says that it take around 3.0 kWh of electricity to drive 30 miles.” They have not given it a name yet, which is why we keep referring to it as “the EV.” You may name it, if you’d like, for ease of remembrance. I named it Craig. Source: Car and Driver

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Tim Sylvia

Tim Sylvia is an associate editor at pv magazine USA. A recent graduate of Hood College, Tim has been with pv magazine since May 2018.

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1 comment

“specifically the subtle hum from the blades and flicker from the sun.” Someone should show the Iowa board a solar panel and in small words explain that it doesn’t hum or cause flicker. Seems this is just a keep our polluting coal generators going moratorium more than anything else. Maybe should have had a picture of the EV since the most of the blurb about it implies there is a picture.

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